STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

FINDING JOY

in Being Helped and Helping Others

An internship with the Joy of Sox coupled with his experience at Villanova helped Austin Glass ’22 VSB realize his need to work with people and make a difference.

Austin Glass ’22 VSB expected to attend a college far from home. Instead, Austin, who comes from less than 70 miles away in Lancaster, Pa., found that he measured all other schools he considered against his campus visit experience of Villanova. “It’s a very high bar,” he says. “Everyone I’ve met at Villanova is eager to help others. There is a commitment to help others grow.”

“I love working with people,” says Austin, “but I needed some time to figure out what I wanted to do as a career.” Part of that search included a summer internship in 2019. “It was great business experience, but something was missing,” he says. A conversation with Cathy Toner, JD, assistant dean, Talent & Staff Development, Community & External Outreach, led Austin to James Reaves, visiting instructor, Management & Operations. He suggested The Joy of Sox, a Philadelphia-based not-for-profit focused on providing people experiencing homelessness in America with clean new socks.

A grant from the Vocare Summer Fellows Program made it possible for Austin to accept the position. “I was the first intern they’d ever had, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I took some time learning about them and how they worked so that I could see where to put my skills to best use.” Austin credits the founder, alumnus Tom Costello Jr. ’68 COE, as one of the reasons his experience at The Joy of Sox went so well. “We have a set of common goals and experiences as Villanovans, and that makes a difference,” Austin says.

One thing that Austin did discover during his time with The Joy of Sox was that there is not that much difference between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. “Both need to operate efficiently and cost effectively. The difference is that instead of the goal being to make a profit for shareholders, not-for-profits do it to fulfill their mission,” he says. In addition to his course work, which includes classes to satisfy the requirements of his Economics major as well as his Business Law & Corporate Governance and Finance minors, Austin is taking full advantage of the expression, “grow where you’re planted,” a phrase uttered frequently by both Villanova faculty and students.

Until his junior year, he served in student government as a senator, and is currently the president of the Blue Key Society, which provides campus tours and helps organize open houses and candidates’ days for prospective students.

We have a set of common goals and experiences as Villanovans, and that makes a difference.”

In short order, Austin determined that he could put his organizational skills and technical savvy to work by reorganizing The Joy of Sox’s electronic filing system, training the volunteers how to use it, and then helping streamline the software used to track and connect with donors. “I hadn’t entirely finished these projects by the end of the summer but had become so invested in the work that I wanted to see it to completion,” he says. The Joy of Sox was happy with the results—so much so that Austin is now on The Joy of Sox’s board of trustees. “I was the first intern on the board (and the youngest),” Austin says. “Being on the board helps me develop a more holistic perspective of the organization, and for myself, which is helpful as I prepare for the future.”

The Joy of Sox has already provided over 475,600 pairs of new socks in the Philadelphia/NJ region, as well as 33 states and five countries.